Who is collecting domain name fees? Domain name registrar is just one of them!

In the vast world of the Internet, domain names, as important identifiers of websites, play a unique role as "house numbers". When we register domain names and pay the corresponding fees, many people may be curious about who collects the domain name fees?

The collection of domain name fees involves multiple relevant entities. The following is a detailed introduction for you:

1. Domain name registration management agency

Roles and responsibilities: Domain name registration management agencies are in a core control position in the entire domain name system. For example, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is responsible for coordinating the domain name system of the global Internet, formulating many general policies and rules related to domain names, and macro-managing generic top-level domain names (gTLDs) such as .com, .net, and .org. ICANN will authorize specific registration management agencies to actually operate these generic top-level domain names. VeriSign is one of the registration management agencies for the .com domain name.

Charge situation: These registration management agencies are responsible for maintaining the core database of domain names, ensuring the smooth operation of key technical processes such as domain name resolution, and investing a lot of manpower, material resources and technical resources in the stability and security of the system. They will charge a certain fee to the domain name registrar, which is intended to cover their own operating costs, including the construction and maintenance of infrastructure such as servers, technology research and development investment to cope with the ever-changing network environment, and the salaries of professionals, so as to ensure that the domain name system can continue to serve global Internet users efficiently.

2. Domain Name Registrar

Roles and Responsibilities: Domain name registrars are the party that directly deals with domain name registration users. Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, Xinnet, etc., which are common in the market, all belong to the category of domain name registrars. They obtain domain name resources in batches from domain name registration management agencies, and then provide diversified services such as domain name registration, renewal, domain name information modification, and domain name transfer to end users such as individual webmasters and various enterprises.

Charging: Registrars charge users for domain name fees, part of which will be transferred to the latter in accordance with the agreement with the registration management agency, and the rest will be used to maintain their own operating expenses. This covers the establishment of a professional customer service team to provide users with timely consultation answers and technical support, the construction of a convenient and easy-to-use domain name management platform for users to operate independently, and the implementation of marketing activities to enhance brand awareness and expand user groups. Moreover, the charging standards of different registrars may vary, depending on the value-added services they provide, brand influence, market positioning and other factors. For example, some registrars provide free domain name privacy protection services (hiding the real contact information of the domain name owner to avoid harassment, etc.), and accordingly, the domain name registration price may be slightly higher than those registrars that do not provide this service.

III. National and regional top-level domain name management agencies

Roles and responsibilities: For national and regional top-level domain names (ccTLDs), such as China's .cn, the United Kingdom's .uk, Japan's .jp, etc., each country or region has a corresponding responsible management agency or organization. Taking the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) as an example, it is in charge of the .cn domain name, responsible for formulating domain name management policies that meet the needs and characteristics of my country's Internet development, allocating .cn domain name resources to qualified registration service agencies, and controlling the security, stability and healthy development of the entire .cn domain name system.

Charging: These institutions will charge users for domain name registration and other related fees through authorized registration service agencies. Part of the fees collected will be used to ensure the daily operation and maintenance of the national or local regional name system, such as server deployment, optimization of domain name resolution services, etc.; the other part will be invested in the research and promotion of Internet basic resources and various service improvement work around domain names that are in line with national or regional conditions, so as to promote the better development of the Internet industry in the country or region using domain name resources.

IV. Special top-level domain name related operating entities

Roles and responsibilities: With the development of the Internet, some new top-level domain names have emerged, such as .tech (technology) and .shop (shop) that reflect industry attributes, or .top with personalized colors. These domain names also have their own corresponding registration management agencies and registrars that cooperate with them. They also follow similar operation and management logic. The registration management agency is responsible for top-level resource management and system maintenance, and the registrar is responsible for connecting with end users to provide specific services.

Charging situation: Its mode of charging domain name fees is similar to that of generic top-level domain names, but the price setting will be different according to its own positioning, target market, operating costs (for example, the cost of promoting new domain names is high), etc. The overall purpose is to maintain the normal operation of the entire process from domain name management to user services.

In summary, the collection of domain name fees is a process involving the collaboration of multiple entities. Different entities participate in the collection and use of domain name fees based on their own responsibilities and operational needs, on the basis of ensuring the quality of domain name services and the stability and order of the Internet domain name system.